These three steps will turn your worries into actions

It's safe to say we all worry - whether it's about money problems, house repairs or our health. But, if we can equip oursleves with the knowledge and skills to turn those worries on their head, we won't be so much at the mercy of unhelpful thoughts.

The Liberty Mutual Insurance Worry Less Report reveals the science of worrying and how we can break the habit. The study, based on peer-reviewed research from the past 20 years, was created in collaboration with lead psychologist Simon A. Rego.

According to the research, 38% of us worry every day, with the peak times of worry being in the early morning and late evening. Age also affects how much and what we worry about with older people actually worrying less than their younger counterparts.

"A growing body of scientific literature suggests that consistent worrying can have both short and long term effects on your wellbeing," Dr. Rego says. "Perhaps most simply stated, worrying is a behaviour that steals joy, affecting sleep and decision making. It's understandable to feel more overwhelmed when facing new situations, such as moving into a new homeor buying a car, but there are simple ways to contain worry to live a more fulfilled life."

Getty ImagesStudio Zanello/Circlestock Images

Here are Dr. Rego's top tips on how to turn worry into a productive action:

1. Schedule worry time

Rather than worrying intermittently throughout the day, allocate time to worry. Designated 'worry time' should free-up your mind and mood for the rest of the day. About 30 minutes a day is a suitable amount of time.

How to do this:

Choose a worry time that will not hinder another activity - for example it shouldn't be within a couple of hours of going to bed or as soon as you wake up. It could perhaps be during your train journey to work, whilst you cook dinner or simply 30 minutes during the day when you sit with a cup of tea and allow yourself to address your concerns.

When a worry that isn't of immediate urgency pops into your head at any time throughout the day or night, tell yourself that you will not think about it now, but during your allotted worry time. The physical action of adding it to a 'worry list' will help cement this process. Writing it down will also help to bring the concern out of your head and put it into perspective.

During your worry time, go through your mental or physical list of worries and assess how legitimate they are - you may find that they seem much less worrisome as they did the first time they arose. Make a plan of how you can make yourself feel better about them, but be strict to move onto another activity when your 30 minutes worry time is up.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2. Break it down

If you feel your problems are too overwhelming, then the best solution is to break them down. Make the worry manageable by making a conscientious plan. This will have the impact of reducing worry long term. Recognise the problem, set achievable goals and create solutions.

For example, you are worried about a health symptom: You keep worrying that your digestion issues are actually symptoms of something more serious...

Address this during your worry time and think practically about what you can do about it. This could be...

Booking a doctors appointment so you feel productive and know your worry will be seen to soon.

Deciding to eat healthily in the meantime so you feel you are doing something active and beneficial.

Actively deciding not to Google your symptoms as you know this could make the worrying worse. This will make you feel empowered.

3. Accept uncertainty

One of the key parts of why we worry is uncertainty. There are always things that crop up in life that are unexpected. But rather than worrying about unforeseen disasters, take proactive steps, such as documenting your possessions and getting insurance sorted. This will help ease your mind.

Country Living, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network
Country Living participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.